ABSTRACT
Distinguishing women's travel writing from that of men, Eastlake suggests that women's travel books are not only more lively, enjoyable, and tactful, but also more accurate and reliable by impressing 'many a solid truth' upon the mind. This chapter examines the quest for truthfulness of one such nineteenth-century travel writer: Frances Minto Elliot. In drawing attention to women travel writers reliability and truthfulness, Eastlake reflects the tendency of numerous nineteenth-century women to make strong claims for veracity in their travel accounts. Elliot's travel accounts are filled with detailed and lengthy historical descriptions; yet the author departs from standard masculinised accounts of Italian history. By focusing on domestic spaces and lesser-known female figures in her historical investigations, Elliot made the historical portions of her travel narratives more accessible to a female readership. Elliot further expresses a desire to certify her experience as truth, so that readers can grasp the 'real' essence of Italian culture.
